What is Hosting?

Hosting Overview

Web hosting is a service that offers you a place to put your website so that others can visit it via the internet. When you purchase a web hosting account, you are purchasing space on a powerful computer (called a server) with a very fast internet connection. When a visitor types in your domain name they are connected to the server containing your website and are able to view your website (scroll down for more information about domain names).

When you want to create a website for other people to see it on the internet, you need to publish (or upload) it to a plan purchased through a web host such as SkyToaster. SkyToaster manages the software, security, updates & much more for the server hosting your website so that you can focus on creating an amazing website.

There are a variety of different hosting products that fulfill different needs. At SkyToaster, we offer Shared Hosting, Reseller Hosting, VPS Hosting & Dedicated Servers.

Domain Names

A domain name is how visitors find your website. The most common domain names end in .COM but can end in a variety of other terms such as .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .US and many more. Your domain name works like a street address. When you visit your domain name in a web browser, a very fast search occurs to locate the server where your website lives and then you are sent to that location automatically.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the most economical and easiest type of web hosting. The service works the same way that the name implies, your account is placed on a single server that is shared with other clients. Perfect for bloggers, small businesses and other small to medium size websites.

Pros:

It is less expensive. You and your neighbors share the cost of the server, making Shared Hosting a great option if you are on a budget.

Ease of use. Shared hosting is almost plug and play. It is by far the easiest way to host a website and all of the server maintenance is handled by SkyToaster for you.

Cons:

Server resources are shared. If one site becomes very busy, it can negatively affect the other shared hosting accounts on the same server. We employ multiple methods to prevent this from happening but it is still possible.

Shared environment. While many protections are in place to prevent other shared users from accessing your data, the accounts do still live on the same server.

Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting is a great option if you need to host multiple websites or want to resell shared hosting. If you only have one website or do not want to resell websites to others, reseller hosting will typically not be the right choice.

Pros:

Cost effective. Reseller hosting is shared in the same way that shared hosting is so the server cost is shared with your neighbors.

Ability to manage multiple websites. There is a small learning curve as you will need to create the specifications of your resold hosting plans and will be responsible for supporting your clients.

Can be automated. You are able to use hosting billing software to automate the process of reselling websites.

Cons:

Server resources are shared. If one site becomes very busy, it can negatively affect the other reseller hosting accounts on the same server. We employ multiple methods to prevent this from happening but it is still possible.

Shared environment. While many protections are in place to prevent other shared users from accessing your data, the accounts do still live on the same server.

Less flexibility. If you need custom software to operate your website or need to support a large number of visitors, shared hosting is not the right choice.

VPS Hosting

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is significantly different from Shared and Reseller hosting. With VPS hosting, you are given a virtual slice of a server that you (and only you) are able to use for hosting websites.

Pros:

Dedicated server resources. If one of your sites becomes very popular overnight, your VPS will have resources ready to display that website to your visitors.

Private environment. A VPS operates in a completely isolated environment from other VPS accounts.

Flexibility. VPS hosting from SkyToaster is customizable. If you need custom software modules, PCI compliance or customized server settings we will work with you to make everything runs smoothly.

Cons:

Higher cost. The cost of a VPS is higher than Shared and Reseller hosting because you are given dedicated server resources. It is still cheaper than using an entire dedicated server because multiple VPS accounts can operate on one physical server, saving you money.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is when an entire physical server is sold to one customer. This kind of hosting is usually only needed by large corporations or in special situations where a VPS would not be sufficient. SkyToaster offers some dedicated hosting on a case by case basis.